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Mark SingelJuly 24, 2017

In October of 1994, I had an eight-point lead in the race for Pennsylvania governor. I was serving as acting governor at the time, while Gov. Robert P. Casey underwent a double-organ transplant to treat a rare liver and blood disorder. With just four weeks to go before Election Day, my chances looked good.

Out on the campaign trail, I received an urgent call from my campaign manager.

"Do you remember a Reginald McFadden?"

A chill covered me like a bucket of ice from head to toe. Of course I remembered him. Two years before, as a member of the State Board of Pardons, I recommended that Mr. McFadden, who was serving a life sentence for murder, be released from prison.

This can't be good, I thought.

The Crime

In Pennsylvania, the Board of Pardons was created to prevent the buying and selling of criminal pardons following an era of considerable corruption. It also provides a “safety valve” for the criminal justice system for those instances in which the judge and jury simply get it wrong.

The main purpose of the board, though, is to temper justice with mercy. In the overwhelming number of cases, the facts are not in dispute. It is not the role of the board to retry each case but simply to determine if a prisoner or applicant is entitled to a second chance.

Most of those votes help clear the record of folks who had done something stupid earlier in life—offenses like shoplifting, small drug possessions. But “lifers” also appear before the board and ask that their sentences for truly heinous crimes be commuted. Poring over the horrible details of these crimes and balancing them against applicants’ progress and suitability for clemency was one of the most difficult assignments I had as the lieutenant governor.

In August of 1992, the board considered the case of Reginald McFadden.

Mr. McFadden and three accomplices broke into the home of an elderly woman 23 years earlier with the intention of robbing her. Surprised to find the woman at home, they bound and gagged her while they robbed the house and escaped. She was found dead the next day, and Mr. McFadden and his accomplices were arrested and charged with murder.

The main purpose of the Board of Pardons is to temper justice with mercy.

While Mr. McFadden acknowledged that the victim suffocated as a result of the gag on her mouth, he consistently maintained that they never intended to commit murder. He was 16 at the time of the robbery and made good use of his time in prison. He received various academic degrees and certificates and completed programs in drug, alcohol and stress management.

The board heard from numerous experts including psychiatrists, wardens, the commissioner of corrections and the judge who imposed the original sentence that Mr. McFadden was an excellent candidate for commutation. One wrote: “Mr. McFadden has grown up, received his education and undergone a major religious conversion in jail. The inmate has earned an outstanding institutional record, and his discharge plans are realistic.”

There was additional information that was known to the board but never made public: Mr. McFadden had assisted corrections personnel during two days of rioting that occurred at the Camp Hill prison in 1989. He had identified some of the ringleaders and put himself in jeopardy of retribution as a result.

The board was also assured that Mr. McFadden had strong community support and had a job waiting for him after he served an additional two years under halfway house supervision.

With all of this factored into the decision, the board voted 4 to 1 to recommend a commutation.

In March of 1994, Gov. Casey signed the order that commuted Reginald McFadden's sentence to the 24 years that he had already served in Pennsylvania prisons. In July, Mr. McFadden reported to a community corrections center in New York for a gradual return to a society.

The Consequences

Three months later, I learned how Mr. McFadden had used his new-found freedom just as the media was issuing its teasers for the 6 p.m. news:

The Pennsylvania Governor’s race took a tragic turn when Reginald McFadden, who was pardoned by state Board of Pardons two years ago, was arrested for the rape of a suburban New York woman. He is also a suspect in the murder of a 78-year-old woman from Long Island.

I barely had time to return to my office in Harrisburg to face the cameras with my statement:

In 1992, the Board of Pardons, on which I sit, recommended to the governor that Reginald McFadden be considered for a commutation. The governor accepted that recommendation, and in June, McFadden was released. I voted for that recommendation. I regret that decision more than any other in my career. I made a mistake that I deeply regret. My prayers and condolences go out to the victims and to their families.

I was too numb to recall the questions I received from reporters. I do remember pointing out that the pardons process was painstaking—but it is not perfect. “These are terribly difficult decisions,” I said. “Based on the evidence and recommendations we had, it seemed like the right thing to do. I’ll have to live with that mistake for the rest of my life.”

The political fallout was immediate and brutal.

My opponent went into full attack mode and overnight had a political ad on every television station in the state all but charging me with Mr. McFadden’s crimes.

Within a matter of days, my 8 percent lead in the polls had become of 7 percent deficit.

One woman was raped and another killed. I felt the pain of those families and could not pretend that I was not partially responsible.

Several key aides to my campaign wanted to go on the attack. They wanted to shift the blame to the governor, who actually signed the commutation. They wanted to remind folks that Mr. McFadden was the killer, not me. They wanted to expose my political opponent as an opportunist for distorting the facts in such an outrageous, Willie Horton way.

Instead, we lowered our campaign guns. There were real consequences to my vote for Mr. McFadden. One woman was raped and another killed. I felt the pain of those families and could not pretend that I was not partially responsible. I was tired of sniveling politicians who could not stand by their own decisions. I was determined to win the hearts of minds of the people of Pennsylvania directly and honestly. If that meant losing an election, so be it.

Why Mercy?

I have had 25 years to reflect on my decision to recommend clemency for Reginald McFadden. Given the ease with which political opponents can twist compassion into weakness, providing second chances to known criminals is always a risk. Why did I take that leap of faith on a convicted murderer?

Having so often petitioned a gracious God for the blessing of mercy, how could I deny it to others?

I was raised in the Byzantine rite of the Catholic Church, one of six siblings in a family of modest means. My parents instilled in us the importance of kindness, charity and cooperation—all essential virtues for a fair distribution of chores and a reasonable chance of equal dinner portions. And every day, we attended a Slavonic liturgy that taught us to ask one thing: Hospodi Pomiluj. Lord, have mercy. The refrain was sung by a choir or chanted by the congregation more than 50 times at each Mass.

Having so often petitioned a gracious God for the blessing of mercy, how could I deny it to others? Some might say mercy belongs in the realms of family and faith, but has no business influencing the actions of a government official. But I believe forgiveness is in fact a requirement of civilized society.

St. John Paul II understood this. In 1981, he was shot by Mehmet Ali Ağca in St. Peter’s Square. The pope—with fragments of a bullet still lodged in his abdomen—visited his assailant in prison and offered him forgiveness.

Nelson Mandela spent decades in a cell for his opposition to apartheid. When Mandela was inaugurated as president of South Africa in 1994, he invited his jailer to the ceremonies.

Mercy and compassion are more than personal options. They are the antidotes to that fear and hatred.

Franklin D. Roosevelt eloquently expressed the American brand of this compassion at the Democratic National Convention of 1936, where he outlined the mission of a great and generous country: “Better the occasional faults of a government that lives in a spirit of charity than the constant omissions of a government frozen in the ice of its own indifference.”

It was a spirit of charity that led the Board of Pardons and the governor to give Reginald McFadden a second chance. The decision likely cost me the race for governor. It cost Mr. McFadden’s victims and their families infinitely more, and to them I am deeply sorry.

But as much as I regret that fateful decision, I cannot accept the alternative: a government and a society that looks with cold indifference at those who have turned their lives around and who languish in our overcrowded prisons. Too often fear and hatred drive our reactions to tragedy, and the result is only more pain, more violence, more suffering. For me, mercy and compassion are more than personal options. They are the antidotes to that fear and hatred. They are the underpinnings of what can make America not only great but good.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
Christopher Lochner
6 years 7 months ago

But mercy is not foolishness. We do not live in a bubble, evil does exist, and life tends to be very messy. We strive for righteousness but not at the expense of others. When we do this we worship ourselves and not the greater Good which is God.

Felbrigge Psalter
6 years 7 months ago

Jesus asks us to do all kinds of foolishness in the name of compassion and mercy. What could be more foolish than selling all your belongings and giving everything to the poor? Don't I owe an obligation to my family? (Luke 9:60; Mark 10:29-31) And surely it is foolish to give to all who ask from you? What about the able-bodied beggar? Aren't I encouraging his laziness and perhaps criminal behavior? If Jesus thought so, we have no record of it.

Mr Singel had no sign -- at the time he made the decision -- to suggest that it was foolish to grant a pardon to Reginald McFadden. Without such sign, he had an obligation, legally, morally, and based on his conscience, to vote as he did (unless your position is that no human being is capable of redemption).

Although I am sorry for how the story ended, I am grateful for Mr Singel's brave, honest, and thoughtful meditation.

Christopher Lochner
6 years 7 months ago

In my opinion, it is foolishness to give to all who ask without deep levels of situational discernment. If money offered is use for a fix or deadly overdose is this respecting the individual or, more likely, giving rise to a very personal good feeling? Being our brothers keeper does not mean giving presents as many families are so well aware.

Des Farrell
6 years 7 months ago

A fascinating, brilliant and short article, with a great professional video. I'm curious to know what degrees this psychopath earned in prison? Robert Hare is someone who has written on psychopathology, they can be difficult to diagnose. Thanks America.

Christopher Lochner
6 years 7 months ago

And I must add a religious conversion may be and should be suspect. I know of a few people capable of all manners of sin, usually involving money, who claim, "God would not allow it if He didn't want it." Yet, they are elevated for their donations. A True Belief? Unlikely. We cannot Judge as God but as humans we must for, otherwise, evil gives rise to chaos, and thus it is by our own hand and, the prince of lies. Peace to all, Chris.

Lisa Weber
6 years 7 months ago

We all make decisions as well as we can with the information we have available to us. Those decisions are sometimes wrong. The least that bystanders can do is be understanding of the difficulties of making significant decisions and forgiving if a reasonable decision was made and it turned out to be a mistake.

Richard Bell
6 years 7 months ago

"I cannot accept the alternative: a government and a society that looks with cold indifference at those who have turned their lives around and who languish in our overcrowded prisons."
Yes, we should have a procedure for commuting sentences or even pardoning those who have turned their lives around.
" Too often fear and hatred drive our reactions to tragedy, and the result is only more pain, more violence, more suffering."
The relevance of this to freeing Mr McFadden is not apparent. What is the tragedy Mr Singel has in mind? Is he thinking of possible fear and hatred in members of the Board of Pardons? If so, is Mr Singel implying that their fear and hatred would cause them to keep Mr McFadden in prison and so would cause more pain, more violence, more suffering, than releasing him did?
" For me, mercy and compassion are more than personal options. They are the antidotes to that fear and hatred. They are the underpinnings of what can make America not only great but good."
Is Mr Singel implying that mercy and compassion are options for non-natural persons -- associations and corporations and governments? (I understand that non-natural persons may act in ways that have effects like the merciful or compassionate actions of natural persons.) Is there a tenable political theory that makes the personal virtues of mercy and compassion also governmental virtues?

rose-ellen caminer
6 years 7 months ago

The red flag for me was him saying as a defense; that he did not expect the woman to be home. Like she died due to circumstances that had nothing to do with him. Like being in her home when HE did not WANT that to be the case, is exculpatory. The woman died because she had no luck, she's a victim of circumstances, beyond her AND HIS control; a tragedy, is what he is saying, and not the victim of HIM, of her being in HIS way, and of his targeting of HER which he did when he gagged and tied her. A truly remorseful person would take responsibility for ones past, and not be talking like that. [imo]

Vincent Gaglione
6 years 7 months ago

Hindsight is always 20/20. Compassion and mercy is 20/20 too. I prefer a world of active compassion and mercy than that of the inaction of the status quo to avoid the truths of hindsight.

Kevin Murphy
6 years 7 months ago

A quick Google search shows that Mr. Singel was an abortion rights supporter, and that pro-life Governor Bill Casey withheld his support because of it. So much for Singel waving his Catholic bona fides as justification for releasing crominals. What hypocrisy. Convicted criminals deserve a second chance but the unborn don't deserve a first. A typical America Magazine hero.

Frank Gibbons
6 years 7 months ago

As someone who opposes both abortion and capital punishment in all circumstances, I am disappointed that Mark Singer did not embrace Cardinal Bernardin's "Seamless Garment". Singer was a supporter of abortion rights which is why Governor Bob Casey refused to endorse Singer's run for governor of PA.

Andrew Strada
6 years 7 months ago

Because Mr. Singel, and others, made a serious error in judgment, one woman was raped and an other one died. Yet he finds it surprisingly easy to forgive himself. Risking the lives of your fellow citizens so that you can feel good about yourself does not entitle you to occupy the moral high ground in any way, shape or form. The only positive aspect of this story may be that it did cost him the election for governor of Pennsylvania.

Henry George
6 years 7 months ago

There are personalities that are, for all appearances, not what we would call healthy, even at a young age. They don't get better over time but they
learn how to hide their evil inclinations. It is very naive to say that a teenager does not have a set personality. Was the home robbery and death he caused at 16, his first time or had they done likewise before and this was the only time he was caught ? In the rape and murder that he committed after Prison - were those the only times, or the only times he was convicted of ?

America is a very liberal magazine and, as such written, on the whole,
by very naive people. It is not an act of mercy to let a man out of prison
just because he has behaved in prison, for he had no women to prey on there.

A very, very slow re-introducement back into Society where he could be
monitored about how he behaved might have revealed that he was
a potential rapists and would murder again and thus should not be released from the prison system.

Why doesn't America magazine go and find this man, if he is still alive,
and have him tell what really happened before, during and after prison and then back to prison ?

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